Dante&Lulu: ANOTHER Kiss
by Emma R2
Summary: OK ABC left them on the shelf and a little dusty - I borrowed them to play but they're still ABC's. A little steamier than my others - this is a 'what if' kiss story that could possibly happen in cannon.


**Dante&LuLu: ANOTHER Kiss**

Knock. Knock. Knock. Despite the irritation of that incessant pounding, Lulu was able to sigh with relief as she flopped onto her sofa. It was a rough day, and Kate had been merciless. The kinder, gentler Kate who had switched her flight just to make it to Maxi's non-wedding had disappeared the moment Lulu returned from Greece. 'Family emergencies' didn't quite cut it with Kate, especially as this family emergency was something that Lulu could NOT explain to her. Not so much because she didn't trust Kate, but Lulu was pretty positive that Kate wouldn't believe her. She sighed and sipped her beer. Normally Lulu would skip beer on a work night, but after Kate, and then her second little surprise, she felt entitled. The pounding on the door continued.

"Be interesting to see how long he can keep that up." She said to herself, as she drained half the beer in one sip.

"What is that, a challenge?" He shouted through the door. "You realize now it's a matter of honor. I'm prepared to use any means necessary." Lulu rolled her eyes as he started pounding again. Normally, she was kind of charmed by his persistence but the scene earlier this afternoon was – she was surprised to feel an odd sort of pang around her heart – this afternoon was an eye-opener. She drained the rest of the beer.

"Lulu, c'mon, open up." Lulu ignored his plea as she grabbed another beer and kicked off her stilettos. Maxi's favorite red wrap dress looked a little less chic without them, but Lulu was tired.

"Lulu, c'mon…you've got to let me explain." Lulu tried to tune out his voice. "C'mon, you know you're really not that mad." The voice was harder to ignore than the knocking. He dropped into that low, husky snake charmer's voice that he used on her on Carnival Day. "C'mon, Lulu, c'mon baby…"

"BABY!" Lulu stalked over to the door and threw it open only to find Dominic crouching down in front of her keyhole with something that looked like a lock-pick. Caught in the act, he froze for a moment, and then slowly stood up with that cheeky smile on his face.

"Don't ever call me, BABY!" Lulu sputtered as he gave her a friendly little wave and strode into her apartment. "And that's cheating!"

"What cheating? I told you I was prepared to use any means necessary to talk to you." Dante strolled into the middle of the apartment. That last one had been bit of a gamble, as she was as likely to push him down the stairs as she was to open the door but he had to try. He was a little rusty with that lock-pick. "Honey, I love what you've done with the place."

"Okay, you're in – we've talked – go away now." Lulu sipped at her beer.

Dante looked at the martial gleam in her eye. She was definitely pissed at him. Which was good, because if she had been at all sad, Dante would've felt guilty and he preferred not to campaign from a place of weakness. Lulu did 'mad' well, he thought as he stared at her. Her eyes took on an extra glow and her angry pout drove him crazy. His appreciative gaze took in the mussed hair, and the rumpled dress. It was obvious she was trying to unwind. His fingers itched and he realized he wanted to rumple her some more.

Lulu felt his gaze, and suddenly felt oddly naked. She was surprised that she actually felt a little self-conscious and she looked longingly at her shoes. Taking them off had been a mistake. They were 'power shoes.' Lulu found she liked having them on when she dealt with Dominic. She looked up at him and his smile was gone, but his eyes were wide and his gaze was intent. Lulu shifted uncomfortably.

"If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?" Dante said in a classic deadpan. Lulu goggled at him.

"Oh for – this is why you broke into my apartment?!" Incredulous, she strode over to the sofa and flopped down. Dante stared at the back of her head and debated. If he stayed standing, he could head her off if she tried to bolt, but he wouldn't be able to see her face. After a moment, he braced his arms and popped over the top of the sofa like a gymnast. Lulu's astonishment made him grin as he landed gracefully beside her, entirely too close.

"Really? Was that, like, really necessary? You can't just sit down like a normal person?" Lulu gave Dominic the glare that Maxi called her "scary" face but it didn't work. He looked charmed. She turned back and nervously sipped on her beer. Lulu didn't like this. She liked being in control.

"Yeah, but where would the fun be in that? Besides," Dominic shifted closer and Lulu shifted away reflexively "my arms look great when I do that, don't they?" Involuntarily Lulu felt her eyes shift to his arms. They looked fantastic in the simple grey t-shirt. She realized she never really noticed before how well defined those arms were. Darn it, he was distracting her. Suddenly he swiped her beer and took a sip. That was the last straw.

"Oh my God, you are the most smug, arrogant, creep on the planet!" Lulu was furious. "First you practically break into my apartment" –

"Break in? You opened the door" Dante smiled and sipped at the beer.

"I opened the door because you were a jerk and it you were in the process of picking the lock–"

"Yeah, tricky thing to prove unless somebody saw it – " Dante grinned even wider.

"And then you stole my beer!" Lulu was appalled to hear a whine in her voice.

"It is customary to offer guests refreshments when they visit it your home" Outraged, Lulu swung around to tell him off, but those deep brown eyes were too close and too focused on her. She realized that the eyes were saying something entirely different than the charming little grin was. The eyes were serious, and almost - concerned. Lulu suddenly felt stupid.

"Are you trying to get me angry?" She asked calmly. She noticed as he shifted uncomfortably. He looked sheepish, and a little awkward.

"I thought, maybe if you blew up at me now, we could get that out of the way and then talk." Dominic said honestly. Lulu shrugged.

"Talk, what's there to talk about? Your sex life is no business of mine." Lulu smiled falsely. "It's just that I find it funny that you were so set on not fathering a child that would be used as a pawn – and then, boom! You changed your mind." She grabbed the beer back and sipped on it again.

Dante watched her sip the beer, and his traitorous mind wondered hotly if she could taste him on it. That observation was accompanied by a flash of warm heat in his solar plexus and an acute tightening in his lower midriff. 'Damn it, Falconeri – focus!' he thought to himself. He cleared his throat, not totally trusting his voice and tried again.

"There was no sex." Dante was emphatic.

"So you were just helping Claudia inspect hotel rooms. Yeah, that makes sense." Lulu said skeptically. She flinched slightly as Dominic grabbed her hand. His hand was warm and strong, and oddly comforting, though Lulu steadfastly refused to be comforted. She pulled her hand back.

"I didn't say she had stopped trying - but I'm not biting." Dante watched Lulu as she processed his statement. He couldn't tell if she believed him or not, as that distant little smile told him nothing. It was designed to. He and Lulu were alike that way. He could sense that she had been hurt in the past, just like he had been, and neither one of them wanted to seem weak or vulnerable. He almost didn't hear her next statement, it was said so quietly.

"She was buttoning her pants." Lulu sipped the beer.

"Yeah? Classy lady - " Dante sighed and decided to give her the full rundown. "I'm not gonna lie, she tried hard. She had the lights down and there were candles. She took off her clothes, she was wearing sexy underwear and she kept touching me – "

"You must be an amazing guy. Claudia may be a skank, but she is beautiful and she wants _you_ so badly – tell me you weren't turned on, just a little bit." Dominic didn't answer right away and Lulu gave him a skeptical little smirk.

Dante realized she had no idea about the slow burn she had just triggered, otherwise she wouldn't be quite so provocative.

"I'm not gonna lie, Lulu. Yeah, I am a man and yeah, for a tiny little moment she got to me. She's got a fantastic body – " Dante said, testing her reaction. He was rewarded when she visibly flinched and turned away. He took a shaky breath and went for it. "And it's kind of nice for the ego, isn't it? To have someone want you, no matter what you say… you know what I'm talking about, don't you Lulu?" He smiled meaningfully at her. She flushed guiltily, they sat for a moment then Lulu tried to save the situation.

"Stop the presses! Is this the great Dominic Pirelli admitting that he feels a little insecure sometimes?" Lulu laughed nervously. She didn't know why, but she believed Dominic. Maybe it was the look in his eye, or maybe it was because of Mr. Poletti, and the story of his family. One part, buried down deep inside of her KNEW that Dominic was a 'good guy' despite his mob connections – and Lulu knew it would be difficult for him to out and out lie to her. He laughed too.

"Yeah and I hope you're wearing a wire, because I'll never admit that publicly." They laughed again. Dante could see Lulu seemed relieved. The fraught tension was still in the room but their mutual laughter seemed to reassure her.

"Well, such a momentous occasion should be recognized somehow. I'll grab us a couple more beers." Lulu stood up a little shakily. Suddenly, Dominic grabbed her hand, stopping her. Lulu stared at him.

"No need." Dante rasped, his voice betraying him far more than his trembling hands as he pulled her back down onto the sofa. "I'll just share some more of yours." And with a soft murmur he captured her mouth with his, his hands sliding up her arms and entangling in her hair.

Lulu was overwhelmed. Dominic was all male, she had known that every time he gave her one of those hot looks, but this was the first time she was feeling it. He groaned and pulled her tighter into him, one muscular arm snaking around her waist while his other hand traveled all over her body. He was hot, hard and strong, and Lulu realized that she felt an answering trembling, deep in her core. She gasped, trying to calm herself and he made a guttural sound and thrust his tongue deep into her mouth. Lulu felt as if every nerve ending was on fire, as both his hands traveled over her body, exploring, stroking, touching. She realized that he no longer had to hold her as she had both her arms around his neck and was pressing herself tightly to him.

Dante realized he was losing control, fast. She rubbed herself against him and he couldn't suppress his own reflex to do the same, returning the pressure, hotter and harder. She murmured and made a soft little sound like a shriek. Dante clenched his fingers into the cushions as he fought the urge to plunder and to take. He slowly tried to pull back from the kiss, only to have Lulu's pout pull him back into it. Lulu sighed and flexed against his hands and she allowed her own to do some traveling. She slid her hands up under his shirt and stroked his muscular chest.

"Dominic, " Lulu whispered. She brushed one a red-tipped fingernail against his flat male nipple and Dominic jumped like was struck by lightning.

Suddenly he was holding her away from him. Lulu looked at him with concern. Dominic had his head turned away, his face was flushed, his eyes were shut and his jaw was visibly clenched. Suddenly Lulu felt ashamed and not a little bit skanky herself. She watched as Dominic took a couple of shuddering breaths to calm himself, and then he turned to her. Lulu felt her face turning bright red. She looked away, using her hair to shield her face.

"Hey," Dante stroked the blonde curls back from her face. "Don't hide from me."

"Hiding, who's hiding?" Lulu flicked her hair back behind her ear and gave him cheeky smile. "I'm fine. Of course, I'd already had a beer before you came in. " Lulu looked directly into Dominic's deep dark eyes. He stared back at her intently, and then the grin came out.

"Of course – too much beer. I get it." Dante smoothly agreed with her.

"Yeah, and it was a stressful day and I …"Lulu shrugged.

"You needed a stress reliever," Dante grinned, "I get it."

"Wait a minute, that doesn't sound – " Lulu tried to take control of the situation.

"Of course, MY stress levels are now through the roof." Dante shrugged. "What can you do?" He muttered to himself rhetorically as he stood up.

Lulu watched covertly as Dominic strode to the door. She couldn't figure it out. He was cute and charming, but so was Matt. She'd never lost control like that before. She couldn't figure it out. He wasn't even her type, normally. He stopped at the door to give her a parting grin.

"Just for the record, Lulu, I didn't have too much beer. And I think you know – now – why Claudia isn't going to succeed. " Dante watched as the implication of that statement sunk in. Lulu's eyes went wide and she looked like she was going to speak. He gave her a quick wave and shut the door behind him. Dante knew he had a stupid grin on his face. He thought it was allowed. Lulu had been surprised but Dante wasn't. He wasn't mistaken in feeling that there was something truly unique and special between them. He'd also known that if he ever allowed himself to truly kiss her, he would probably lose control. He just hadn't suspected that she would lose control with him. Dante allowed himself one moment's regret about his stupid conscience, the one that told him it was too soon if he truly wanted something lasting with her.

Besides – call him sentimental, he thought to himself, but he would actually like to hear her whisper his real name when they did finally get together.

He sighed as he realized a cold shower was his next priority.

The END


End file.
